PETOSKEY — Petoskey police officials have released their initial report on an Aug. 20 U.S. 31 traffic crash that claimed the lives of four Gaylord residents.

Petoskey Department of Public Safety Lt. Anthony Rice released the report Wednesday saying he is still unsure when the complete report will be ready to submit to the prosecutor’s office for review.

Rice said Petoskey Public Safety officers are still waiting for toxicology reports on blood tests conducted on all of the people involved in the crash. He also said follow-up accident investigation work by the Emmet County Sheriff’s office is still in the works.

The crash, which happened at about 4:20 p.m. on Aug. 20 on U.S. 31 east of Lake Grove Road, claimed the lives of four occupants of a pickup truck: the driver, Daniel Firman, 25, Aaron Hunley, 16, and his brother, Christian Hunley, 17, and Andrew Erickson, 17, all of Gaylord.

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The crash report lists the at-fault driver as Daniel William Nessel, 21, of Onaway, the driver of a 1996 black Dodge passenger car.

According to the report Kelly McCord, 47, of Prescott, told officers he was driving a semi tractor-trailer west on U.S. 31 when Nessel’s eastbound Dodge crossed the centerline, swerving at him abruptly. McCord told police the collision with the Dodge caused him to lose control of the truck which then slid to the left. McCord told police all he could see was the bank on the opposite side of the road coming at him, according to the police report.

George Gemski Jr., 50, of White Cloud told police he was driving a second semi following McCord’s when he saw the black Dodge cross the center line and strike the semi in front of him. He said he veered to the right in an attempt to avoid the black car, but struck Nessel’s car before traveling off the roadway and coming to rest in the woods on the north side of the road, according to the report.

The report also cites a witness who told police he saw Nessel driving erratically in the minutes leading up to the crash and saw the initial impact between the Nessel’s Dodge and the first semi.

According to the report, none of the drivers tested positive for alcohol following the crash.

Although what appears to be a one-sentence statement by Nessel was redacted from the copy of the report released to the News-Review, police on earlier occasions have said that Nessel told them he does not remember what happened in the moments just prior to the crash. In the report, Lt. Randall Weston said Nessel had a bruise on his forehead and several abrasions following the crash.

Rice said after the report is complete it will be submitted to the Emmet County Prosecutor’s office officials who will decide if any criminal charges will be issued stemming from the crash. Rice said Emmet County Prosecutor Jim Linderman, who has been working with police on the case is expected to be out of the office for the next two weeks.